Repurcussions
by johnFransen
Summary: They tell themselves it's not wrong. They say it's not hurting anybody. Then why can't they sleep at night? Why do they keep coming back even if nothing good comes out of it? What will happen when the others find out? When Happy goes missing, Team Natsu sets out find him. Sequel to One Small Mistake. Lemons inside
1. Introduction

Okay, the first one didn't go so well. I admit my intentions and how the work turned out to be were misaligned. I'll tone down on the sex this time around, but it's important to the theme of the story. I hope this one digs as deep as the first one hinted at towards the end. Check out One Small Mistake to know what I'm talking about.

….

WARNING: This story has themes of Rape/NonCon.

….

P.S. This one is as dark as I felt it should be. Nobody's killing each other yet, but still.


	2. The Long Walk

" _Let_ _me in, Grace. Let me prove to you how much I really love you._ " The man in the black suit and hat sobbed.

" _Please, Harold, please just go away,_ " the woman from behind the door pleaded. " _We both know this would happen. We both know we could never be together._."

" _Now don't say that Grace_ ," Harold replied, tears now forming on his eyes as his voice began to break. He placed his hand on the wooden door and leaned heavily on it. " _Words can never describe our love_." he assured. From out of nowhere, an invisible orchestra began to play swirling emotional string-laden music as the man's tears kept pouring out of his grief-stricken eyes. Next we get a clear shot of Grace, the woman from behind the door. Like Harold, she was leaning on the door, sobbing, but she was sitting on the floor, as if physically weakened by emotional torment.

We get a final look at Harold, who was now wiping away his tears, and starting to straighten up. He seemed to have composed himself, but his voice was still somber as he spoke. " _This may have happened between us, Grace my love, but I can assure you my love for you will never falter._ " And with that he turned around and walked away, the music rising to a full sweep as he did.

Gray turned the TV off with a harsh click of the button, and temperamentally threw the remote on the coffee table in front of the couch. The sudden silence that invaded the room cast a bleak curtain around the already dim apartment. He had kept the drapes closed, shutting himself off from the outside world, not even bothering to clean up around him. His bed was messy and the floor was littered with his laundry. Sunlight struggled to peek through the gaps in the curtains, creating shafts of light across the room. But it was futile. None of the midday sun was able to penetrate the brooding dim of Gray's apartment.

The only place that was spotless in the room was the couch, where Gray was currently slouching on, and the coffee table in front of it, which was cleared to make room for his legs. Gray was only dressed in his boxers, not caring to wear any other scrap of clothing in his domain. He lazily stretched and sat up, looking around him. It was noontime in Magnolia, and he hadn't even had lunch, or cleaned up his already bare apartment. In fact, he couldn't quite remember the last time he cleaned up.

 _God, Ur would be pissed if she could see me right now,_ he thought.

Ruffling his hair, he stood up, stretched his arms, and walked around the place. Grunting, he began picking up his clothes off of the floor. He threw them into the hamper, then scratched his head, trying to recall where he placed something. Then he walked over to a desk by the window, grabbed a duster from inside one of the drawers, and started dusting the place.

Coughing lightly from all the dust, he had just finished cleaning the shelves before walking over to the windows. He grabbed the drapes and flung them open to the side, suddenly lighting the whole room up. He squinted, and closed his eyes as he bathed in the sunlight, feeling the warmth spread over his bare skin.

 _The neighbors must be watching me right now,_ he thought as he stood in front of the open window in nothing but his boxers. This was his usual appearance whenever he was alone at home; if his behavior outside was any indication, it would be correct to assume he preferred being bare whenever no one was around to scold him for it. By now the neighbors were apathetic to his usual display, bare chest and all, but from time to time they complained, hence his closing of the drapes, depriving himself of any sunlight. However, on this very day, instead of being mindful, he cleared his mind, sighed deeply, and cared no more.

Finally he opened his eyes. The limited view his window gave him reappeared in all its bright, midday glory. One-half of it was covered by the profile of the building right next to this one, where the windows of the rooms on the other side had a decent view of his own, and the other half was of the bright city street a couple of flights of steps below. As expected, despite the high heat, people were milling about, going about their business.

Gray cracked his neck and walked over to his dresser. He took out and then put on his normal clothes: his jeans, a white button shirt, and necklace. Afterwards he checked himself out in the mirror. He took a good look at his face, adjusted his collar, and smoothed his shirt out until he no longer looked as if he had been avoiding the sun for a whole week, alone in his room. Nodding to his reflection in the mirror, as if in acknowledgement, he took the keys from a hook in the wall next to the door, opened and then closed the door behind him, and left.4

Gray wasn't as sorry of a sight as he felt he was, walking down the street towards the nearest diner. If anything, even the people who knew him best wouldn't even notice anything different if they could see him. He met fellow guild members on the street, saying hi or hello as they walked by, and he acknowledged them right back. Magnolia was never that big that you won't run into the same people at least twice a day. Right now, Gray wasn't feeling like meeting anybody, but it was welcome anyway to be recognized by familiar faces.

The diner was just a short walk down the street, and Gray was quite familiar with it. It was never as busy as places with good food in it deserved to be, and so he had no trouble finding a decent table. Gray spied an open table for two, and sat down. He ordered a steak with some peas and mashed potatoes, smiling politely at the waitress as she took his order.

The waitress was a decent-looking girl just his age, and he noticed her glancing at him more than once, in more than a polite manner, in the past. She was a perky brunette with a ponytail; blue eyes and rosy cheeks, always in her beige and red uniform. Come to think of it, he never had seen her out of them before. He smiled at him and she smiled back, and that was the slightest of blushes he saw on her face when he did. As usual, he didn't particularly care. She bowed, the blush still on her cheeks, and walked hurriedly back into the kitchen; fearful, it seemed, to look back at him.

The window of the diner was quite large, and he saw two more of his guild mates pass by while he waited patiently at the table. Another couple of guild mates came by; same routine. It was just about the most ordinary thing to do, but he wasn't thinking ordinarily that day. He didn't even notice that he kept on checking whether they were with someone with blonde hair.

Finally lunch was served. Gray had expected the same waitress to serve him, but he looked up and saw this one was black-haired. As she placed his meal onto his table, he looked around the place for the brunette, but she wasn't around. He took the fork and knife in his hands, and put the napkin on his collar. But he just looked at the plate, and kept looking.

Then it hit him, and Gray could only smile at himself, and chuckle.

' _I'm not hungry.'_

And so Gray took the napkin off his collar, put down the knife and fork, and looked around him. Two tables down, a family with two kids, a girl and a younger brother, were sitting. The younger brother was crying while his sister tried to calm him down. He looked to the table on his left and saw a couple a little older than him, apparently arguing.

Silently, Gray just ate the mashed potatoes with the fork as he discreetly observed the people around him.

Finally he asked for a bag for him to take the meal home with. Once again it was the brunette who gave him the bag, and he gave her another one of her polite smiles. She looked down, not meeting his eyes, and, now that he could see her close enough, he saw that she blushed an honest pink.

She walked away, and Gray just stood on that spot, watching her go. He remembered there was a time he would actually go after her, strike up a conversation, maybe ask her out sometime. But he watched her walk back into the kitchen, and he turned and left.

He didn't go back home yet. His face was turned towards the direction of his apartment, but his feet faced the other direction. He decided to take a walk.

Gray didn't know where he was going, but he did notice he was getting there at a very leisurely pace. The sun was high up, but it didn't bother him much. As an ice mage, he was very much used to keeping cool, both literally and figuratively. He let his feet decide where to go, and soon he arrived at the river.

The river that ran through Magnolia was neither large nor remarkable. It was clean, and boats ran through it, but otherwise it was ordinary. However, at dusk, the sky's blazing orange light cast a gorgeous reflection on the river's clean water, giving the whole stretch of the river, and the houses running parallel to it, a calming, mystifying sunset glow. People were sitting around the ramparts chatting, kicking about, waiting, it seemed, for the night to fall. Gray felt the lazy twilight mood around the river. It was very much like back in the mountains, when he would watch the sunset every day after training with Ur. It always did calm him.

Gray stopped and sat down on the rampart. And then for the second time that day, he was sitting around, quietly observing people.

He was intrigued. It was the first time he had ever done something like this. He was no stranger to boredom, but he never was one for long walks. Usually he'd just stay in his house, or be with the guild.

 _Be on a date, even._ He thought. He always did try his luck with the ladies, but he never felt the need to pursue anything. He knew for a fact that he wasn't bad-looking, but it was never his priority to bank on it. He felt freer before.

' _Before what?'_ he thought.

 _Before Lucy._ A voice declared in his head.

It startled him. He shook his head, trying to get it out of his mind, but the words stuck.

' _Before Lucy.'_ He thought.

All of a sudden, he was annoyed. He looked around, wondering what he was doing here, of all places. He wondered why he had bothered to leave his apartment in the first place.

 _I was hungry,_ he remembered. _But then I wasn't._

After a few more minutes, he started to become frustrated. It felt new to him, being flustered. And he didn't even know why.

' _You're looking for something.'_ He thought.

He stood up and walked.

By the time had finally drove the nagging thoughts he had before away, dusk had truly fallen, and he was a little lost. He looked around him, trying to get his bearings, but he couldn't figure out where he was. And he didn't feel like asking for directions.

Finally he gave up trying to figure out what to do, and just went with what he felt was right. He found himself following the river some time, while silently just taking everything in.

After a while, he started to recognize the parts he was in, but he wasn't sure exactly why he was going there.

 _It's because you're looking for something,_ He repeated to himself. He shook his head. He couldn't just shake off nagging thoughts, after all.

Something made him want to leave his apartment, made him want to take a walk, go to this part of town. Damned if he knew why he was there other than the reason that he 'felt like it'. He chuckled a little at the thought.

' _Sure, yeah, he suddenly felt like taking a walk one day. Just like ordering a steak, and suddenly felt like not eating it._ '

He only knew that he wanted to find out what he really wanted.

And then, after a few more minutes of walking, he turned a corner, and the place he saw made him stare and blink. Then he slowly closed his eyes, and sighed.

' _Of course,'_ he thought.

And so he straightened up, and walked towards Lucy Heartfilia's house.

He knocked on the door. "Lucy?" he called out.

He peered at the windows, searching for any signs of life inside. "Lucy?" He called out again. Still nothing.

He stepped back to look up the second story, where he knew Lucy lived. He turned and faced the river, wondering what to do next.

Usually, he wouldn't even knock. Usually he'd just go use an ice key and go in. It would also be the easiest thing to climb her window.

' _It's not like I'm unwanted or anything,'_ he thought. Then he stopped, and reexamined what he had just thought.

He looked at the house. It was never a remarkable one, much like the river it sat in front of. He had remembered all the times he had gone to this place. Lucy would always get pissed at her privacy being invaded. And then there were those _other_ times.

He looked at the house. Now he was seeing himself craft an ice key and open the door. He'd wait inside her room, behind her door. And when she came home…

 _Maybe you do want her now,_ the voice spoke again. _Maybe you just wouldn't admit it. It wouldn't be the first time you just helped yourself to her, wouldn't it? Or the first time you ever lied to yourself now wasn't it?_

' _Stop it.'_

 _When you were kissing her neck and melting her with your hands, you told yourself it's lust and love that's in her eyes. It's what she wants, and you're obliging._

' _She wasn't saying no, wasn't she? And she did want me. She wanted me too.'_

 _Did she? Was it really lust in her eyes, the same lust that was in yours and Natsu's? Because it didn't look like it, didn't it?_

' _Yes. She didn't say no, didn't she? Drop it.'_

 _But it wasn't._

' _Drop it.'_

 _There was nothing in her eyes._

' _DROP IT.'_

 _She never wanted this. Never._

"Gray?"

Gray spun.

Lucy was standing a ways off him. Their eyes met and held together for a very long moment.

Gray broke it first to look at the rest of her. From the looks of it, she had just been from her waitressing job. Her uniform was most likely in the hand bag she was holding, and she was dressed in regular clothes.

 _But those aren't regular clothes, are they?_

' _Yes they are. They're pretty regular._ '

 _No they aren't. With Lucy, nothing she can wear can ever be regular. Even with that plain white shirt, and that short black skirt, she isn't regular. She looks like she should be sliding out of them, or at the very least they should be ripped off of her. Her soft skin, to be touched and sucked on and kissed until she squirms and squeals-_

' _Christ STOP IT.'_ He thought with a will.

He made himself smile. "Hey Luce," he began.

She gasped lightly, as if he had just struck her. Gray could see it just as he could see the blush on the waitress' face she blushed.

 _She was cautious,_ He thought. _She was expecting something else._

She smiled back, and said, "Hey Gray."

She saw the bag he was holding. "What've you got there?" she asked.

"Oh this?" he said, holding it up. "It's just a steak. I had it to go over at Klaus'. That's a diner near me. I wasn't that hungry when I got it."

"Oh," she replied, with a nod. "I know that place."

Silence followed. They were standing at a bit of a distance, which Gray was finding increasingly awkward. But he felt rooted to the spot he was standing on.

Finally he broke the silence. "Wanna have it?" he said.

Lucy's brows went up in confusion. "What?" she said.

"The steak. If…if you want it, you can have it. It's pretty good, y'know?" Gray replied.

For a moment Lucy seemed unsure. She looked as if he had just asked her to kill someone.

 _Or to bend over and spread her legs,_ he thought. He clenched his jaw at the memory, but suppressed it.For a moment she looked like frightened cat.

But then she looked into his eyes and she smiled. "Thanks, Gray." She said. She started walking, closing the distance between them, and took the bag from him. "I appreciate it."

Gray just nodded. "Yeah."

Gray stuck his hands In his pockets. He looked around him. Dusk was turning into twilight, and the street lamps were lighting up. He turned to the direction he had just come, and wondered how long it would take him to walk back home.

Then Lucy asked, "Do you..want to come in?"

Gray looked back at her, little surprised. She just stood before him, innocently waiting for his answer.

Gray smiled unsurely. "Sure, Luce." He said. Lucy opened the door, and they both went in the house.

Gray was currently one of the two people aside from Lucy who had been to her house the most times. He now knew every corner of the apartment; every spot, nook, and cranny was familiar to him now as if he himself lived there. If he had remembered correctly, it was he who was the very first who broke in. It was no secret to anyone in the guild as to how close Team Erza was as to continually break in their teammates' homes and allow it, so nobody ever took notice of him. Or Natsu.

Gray had decided to assume his usual self around Lucy. He had tried to dispel all of the thoughts that had plagued his mind from before, and focused on Lucy. He stepped into the apartment, and took a quick visual sweep of the place.

Lucy was always careful to keep the place clean. The inside smelled nice as always, and not a speck of dust was in sight. Lucy placed the paper bag on the dining table, dropped her bag onto the couch, and walked over to her dresser.

"Just sit down, Gray. Make yourself comfortable." She said, as she took out her indoor clothes from the dresser.

Gray just nodded and sat down on the couch. He watched as Lucy walked over to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Later the soft hiss of the shower was heard, and Gray released the breath he was holding the whole time. He looked around the apartment, and admired its cleanliness, for the second time. The place wasn't as garishly decorated as a rich girl's room, but it wasn't bare, either.

 _Those jobs she'd been taking lately must've been paying off,_ he thought. Then his eyes dropped the bed on the far side of the room and he stared.

The clueless observer would find absolutely nothing noteworthy of Lucy's bed. But Gray stood up, walked over to it, and looked closer, staring hard.

The sheets were a clean white, and spotless, but just underneath the pillow was a dark red stain. He smelled it, and bit his lip as he recognized the smell.

 _Blood._ He thought.

It was just about the size of his thumb, and was partially covered, but his sharp eyes saw it nonetheless. Feeling his stomach sink, he slowly lifted up the pillowcase. What he saw made him blink.

There were two or more, slightly larger, bloodstains underneath the pillow. Feeling his hands curl into fists, he made himself lift up the bedcovers.

If he was even more shocked than he was at the moment, he didn't show it. There were more stains underneath. This time they were smaller, but they were there.

Then he heard the shower close, and he rearranged the bed. He went back to casually pacing the room before Lucy emerged from the shower, wearing a simple tank top and a skirt.

He watched as she took her bag, went over to her bed, and began to take out the contents of her bag onto the bed. He watched her take out the handful of bills she had, most likely tips from eager customers, clipped together tightly with a rubber band.

"Tips?" he inquired.

She smiled. "Yeah. They love me over there, cat ears and all." She replied.

He chuckled. He looked elsewhere, and saw the paper bag still sitting on the dining table.

"You're not gonna have dinner?" he asked.

She looked up, and saw where he was looking. "Oh if you want some, I'll go make some. I'll go heat it if you want," she said, as she began to stand up.

Gray hurriedly waved it off. "No thanks, I'm not hungry." He said. Before his stomach grumbled loudly. Gray put his hand on it, groaning, remembering how he hadn't had a bite to eat the whole day. He sheepishly looked at Lucy, who just laughed.

"Well, at least one part of you is honest," she said. For a moment she bit her lip, looking at him for a long moment. And then she said, "Come on, let's go out. It's not dark yet. Let's go have a bite to eat."

"Oh no, that's fine. I think I've had enough exploring for one day." He replied, waving his hands in front of him in refusal.

"Well, you've gotta eat something, right?" She stood up, grabbed her wallet, and was almost getting her jacket before she suddenly exclaimed, "Oh!"

"What?" Gray said, immediately cautious.

"I forgot! I have some lasagna from work," she said, walking over to her bed, and digging into her bag once more. "The boss let me have some from the kitchen."

She succeeded in bringing out a paper bag. She stood again, walked over to the little kitchen across the room. She began putting on an apron and knelt down to get a pan from below the counter. Turning to look at him, she smiled at him.

"We're gonna have some dinner tonight." she said.

Soon the lasagna was reheating on the pan thrown with a little bit of pasta Lucy had lying around for good measure. Then she threw some butter onto another pan to reheat the steak, with a couple of sage leaves and thyme. When it was done, she put aside her apron and set the table for two. Ever the waitress, she even had the napkins going on the plates.

Gray couldn't remember any other time in which he was totally focused on one person's movements. He watched Lucy cook; surely such a menial task was anything but exciting to a man who can throw ice swords. But Lucy gingerly placed the utensils beside the plates, making sure each was clean and shiny. Then she began to serve, placing each of the food into their respective plates.

Finally Lucy stood beside the table, clasped her hands behind her back, and announced, not without great pride and dazzling charm, "Dinner is served!" She even made one of her "cute" faces, sticking her tongue out, complete with a wink.

Gray couldn't help but smirk at the intentionally charming display. But watching her rearrange the plates ever so slightly into a better position made him stare. The brightness of her face, along with the grace she carried with it, made his hands itch.

Finally he sat down, admiring Lucy's work. "Quite the chef you are, for a mere waitress," he said.

"Just shut up and eat, will you?" Lucy replied brusquely. "And what do you mean by "mere"?"

Gray chuckled and dug in. During the course of the dinner, there were times when Lucy had to scold him for eating inappropriately. Conversation was present but minimal. They tried steering the conversation onto familiar matters like the guild or other recent events, but it was lifeless. By the time they were finished, Lucy had up the plates and walked over to the sink.

Gray stood up. "I'll do it," he said.

Lucy shook her head and smiled. "No go on ahead, I'll do it." She said, starting to soak up her hands and reaching for the sponge.

"No, you already cooked. I insist." He said, walking over to her, taking the sponge off her hand.

It was only for a fraction of a second, but their hands touched, and Gray felt the tiniest of pricks on the back of his neck. Lucy nodded the smallest of nods, and turned away.

Silence ensued; the only sound to be heard the rushing of tap water and the clinking and clacking of dishes on a wet counter. Finally Gray wiped his hands with a cloth and turned around. Lucy was stripped down to a tight white shirt that hugged her voluptuous figure like a second skin, and nothing but a pair of panties below.

Gray couldn't remember the last time he had looked a woman, even Lucy, with so much shock and awe at the same time as to render him frozen as the ice he produced. It wasn't that her hair had been let down, lazily hanging down to her shoulders, frayed up and knotted in just the right places. Or that she wasn't wearing a bra, making her bare self bare before him.

Lucy's look wasn't hungry and intense; as it usually was during the times she had come on to him. Nor was it naked and vulnerable just as the rest of her was when he came for her. She stood before him, simply looking at him, seemingly waiting.

She blinked rather slowly, like a cat. Gray could hardly do the same. Suddenly his hands were itching again. They tensed up and he had to curl them into fists, rubbing them together. He recognized all the signs as they came: his posture became stiff and tense. His heart beat harder in his chest. All the blood in his body seemed to leave his head and rush downward as he felt the old familiar throb down below. He didn't notice it, but he was biting his lip as his eyes focused on her like needles.

If Lucy wasn't yet used to the intensity of this reaction, she was now. She didn't care that Gray was looking at her with all his being. She stepped towards him.

Now Gray resumed thinking. He stepped towards her.

 _Here it comes now. You might as well enjoy it. Here comes tonight's REAL dinner._

' _Does she really want this? Is this what she really wants?'_

She took another step forward. He did too.

 _Who cares? Her breasts probably don't. See how soft they seem? See how luscious her lips are?_

' _What if she never wanted this? What if she hates me? Hates us?'_

 _She never said no._

Another step for her. Another step for him.

' _I pinned her hands above her head. I kissed her until her lips became chapped. Me and Natsu both.'_

 _She never said no._

Step.

' _I shouldn't do this I shouldn't do this Please stop moving stop don_ '

His hands found her neck and he smashed her lips onto hers. Her hands limply embraced him as he pushed her backwards, pinning her against the nearest wall. His hands were everywhere, touching her neck over to shoulder down to her soft breast as he kept his other hand firmly on her hair, even pulling it a little as he kissed her roughly. Then his hand went down, found her panties. His fingers crept under the thin cloth, and stroked her deepest spot.

Gray couldn't even hear the moan Lucy let out anymore as he left her lips to bite lightly at her neck. She groaned, keeping her hands tight around him, as if hanging on for dear life.

Gray could focus harder and better in the toughest fight he'd ever have in his whole life, and his head would still be spinning whenever his hands were touching Lucy. He remembered how it felt the first time, here in this very apartment. Nothing had changed. She was wet, expectant. He stroked her then he pushed inside her, and she writhed. Her body twisted and shook with his touch. His hands grabbed and pulled at the hair on the back of her head, pulling her head slightly upward as kissed the nape of her neck. Gray had seen what expressions Lucy could and does make when in the throes of pleasure. He couldn't see it, his face buried in her neck, but he was seeing it in his head. Her eyes were shut, her mouth agape, struggling to close but failing as moans and groans kept escaping her mouth. Heavy breathing filled the air.

His hand worked faster, scratching the itch he knew was inside her. He subconsciously iced up his fingers as he plunged them deeper. Her body all but exploded as he did; he had to tighten his grip on her hair to keep her still. Her legs seemed to be going weak beneath her, and he had to pin her onto the wall even harder to keep her up.

And then suddenly she pushed back, grabbing him by the shoulders. She twisted them around, and pinned him to the wall instead.

Gray's spell weakened momentarily, his eyes going wide as she pushed him onto the wall, but then she kissed him as rough as he did, at the same time thrusting her hips against him, and he was back. Gray's hand was still doing its work inside her, and Lucy was now grinding on him. Her hands were now all over him, feeling under his shirt, caressing his toned body. Then his hand went down to his pants, and she felt all of him.

It was like a switch was thrown. Gray stiffened, his eyes suddenly regaining their focus for a moment. Suddenly he saw clearer, and his head no longer spun.

He looked at her. Looked at her face as she appeared not to notice his change. She continued to touch him all over, now kissing his neck.

If Gray ever had an epiphany, this was it. Lucy's continued to grind on him, but now he saw her. He saw what he did to her.

 _That's right. YOU did this to her._

' _What is this? Did I do this? She's sucking on my neck. She's literally sucking on my neck.'_

 _Give it a few minutes and she'll be sucking on something else._

He withdrew his hand from inside her. She visibly deflated, stopping her assault on his neck. If anything, she started to grinding on him even more, but now she was looking up at him.

 _There. See how good that is?_

Her hair became messier than before. Her expression was unfocused. Her lips were slightly smudged, and a little swollen. But the most visible detail of all were her eyes.

Her eyes pleaded. They looked up at him, hungry and begging, almost watery.

Gray suddenly forgot how to talk. He looked deep into her eyes, looking for the brightness that he saw earlier.

 _But there's none, isn't there? Matter of fact, there's nothing in them. Nothing but want. She WANTS you Gray, couldn't you see that?_

' _Does she?'_ he thought. _'Does she want this?'_

 _She_ _ **NEVER**_ _said_ _ **NO**_ _._

"Gray..." she moaned. That startled him out of his reverie. He held her, looking intently at her face.

"Lucy…" he said.

"Gray please…" she pleaded. She was tugging on his shirt, still lightly grinding on him.

Gray bit his lip. "Lucy stop." He said.

Lucy shook her head. "Why?" she said. "I want you, Gray. I… I want this."

Gray couldn't think of anything to say. Then she began to shake.

"Don't you want this?" she asked. "Isn't this what you like?"

 _Isn't this what you like?_

 _'Isn't this what you like?'_

 _Isn't this what you WANT?_

Lucy took his hand and led him to the couch, where he sat down slowly, still looking up at her. Her eyes never their somber expression, her lips still quivered as she stared back at him.

Then she slowly began taking her panties off in front of him.


	3. Kidnapped

Hi. I am terribly guilty for neglecting this story, and anything else I've been trying to work on. Busy with college, but I really wanna continue this, so here I am, again.

This chapter took _forever_ to write. I had a lot of stuff to do, and whenever I could, I could only put in miniscule work. Glad to see another chapter _actually_ done.

This is one of my first undertakings. I never published anything else, and I'm really trying to learn my craft here. Please leave reviews, and enjoy.

Side note: Some of you might not be happy with the way I portray these characters. I'm actually trying to take my own spin with the setting. These are not the same characters you've come to know and love from the anime or the manga. This is supposed to be something different.

Anyways, here it is.

…

There was a knock on the door.

Lucy didn't flinch. She didn't feel any surge of curiosity or apprehension at having a visitor. She didn't she even have to question who it was outside. She could sense it; like a fine mist its presence flooded in through the gaps of the doorframe. She slowly put down her pen, closed her manuscript binder. She opened her drawer, dumped it inside, closed it, and stood slowly up. The visitor knocked again, and Lucy turned to look at the door.

It always started like this. She looked at the door and tunnel vision seemed to kick in. Suddenly she could see nothing but the door; could feel nothing but the presence of the unseen visitor. The unremarkable air in the room suddenly became so cold it gave her chills, going from the back of her neck towards the tips of her fingers. Whether it was fear, or excitement on her part, she never could tell. The knock compelled her to open up, open up for him.

Keeping in mind all of the countless times this same scenario has happened, she could feel and record every small detail and sensation coming to her with each step towards the door. In her mind, these were like the steps towards a locked door leading to a mysterious place, or a gateway to oblivion. She would always feel would be the hard thumping of her heart, just as it was doing now. The knocking, unhurried and patient, continued, and she moved closer and closer towards it.

She reached the door. For a single, long moment her mind was blurry, swimming in fog. She was afraid, but she wasn't at ease either. She wanted to open the door, but at the same time she felt the need to curl up in a corner like a child. The cold air got even colder all of a sudden, and she moved to hug herself, her skin suddenly feeling sensitive. But she dropped it to her sides, her fists clenching and then unclenching.

Finally she put her hand on the knob, opened the door, and saw who was outside.

Natsu dressed a little different today. He was wearing a cloak over his usual open vest, and carried a backpack over his shoulder. He looked as if he was going somewhere. Then Lucy remembered.

"HAPPY!" Natsu roared.

A strong breeze whirled past. The surrounding trees swayed and danced in the flowing wind, prompting the birds nested in between their branches to turn tail and fly away into the air. The grass rustled among the gently swaying flowers. The bushes rattled and shook along the growth of the forest around the singular house.

Natsu was standing just in front of the open house. He was stock still, his face reaching out to the sky, and his mouth open in that despairing call. In his hand he held a green piece of cloth. His hand trembled a little at the intensity he was gripping the cloth with. It was once tied around the neck of his greatest, oldest friend. Now across its harmless green fabric was a scratch, where at the very edges were the smallest traces of blood. Cat's blood. Natsu could smell it, strong as the scent of an unfamiliar beast, permeating the air.

Natsu could smell it even before he arrived at the clearing in the forest where his and Happy's house stood. His ears drew back and his teeth showed in an unconscious snarl. His leisurely pace broke into a run as he hurried home. By the time he reached it, the door was as open as a cave's entrance; the inside was just as dark. He hurried inside, and could only stare in shock at the mess. Shelves were ripped from the walls, the bed was overturned; even the rug was ripped to pieces.

He stepped in, unconsciously stepping very carefully among their ransacked belongings on the floor. Dazed, he turned in a half-circle, surveying the mess around him. In his shock, he forgot to even breathe. He released the breath he had been holding the whole time, and then he inhaled the strong scent of the beast, polluting the air like ash.

He inhaled that musky, furry smell slowly and deliberately. In its scent he could smell a thousand different odors: each giving him a clue what it was. He could smell dirt on it. He could smell the mossy, wet odor of rivers and ponds, just hiding behind it. He could smell the remains of weeks-old shit and piss on its fur. He could already picture what it was in his head. It was big. It had claws. It didn't stay in one place very long, and it could swim. It was wild and probably didn't resemble anything like a man.

He stood still in that particular spot. And then he looked down and saw the torn cloth.

It was his eyes that did it. It was always the eyes. His eyes were normally bright and friendly. But when he was here, and now, they were sharper than knives. They pierced her with an intensity she had come to recognize, and only she would be able to witness. It was a look he gave her, like always, of piercing fire that, coupled with his rigid posture, compelled her to stare back, although uneasily. Of all the times he had done this to her, nothing seemed to change.

He started towards her, causing her to step backwards. He went in, closed the door behind him, and dropped his bag on the spot. He kept advancing, and Lucy kept stepping back, until she hit a wall behind her. Natsu kissed her, his hand moving up to her neck, the other around her waist, pulling her closer towards him.

 _'He'd get lost in the woods. I should give him a map.'_ She was thinking, as she absentmindedly wrapped her arms around his neck. Natsu started kissing her neck, making her close her eyes and sigh softly. His lips found that one sensitive spot behind her ear and she softly shivered.

Sweat dripped from Natsu's brow as he ran on a downhill path that cut through the trees. He stepped on a stray rock that almost tripped him, but he regained his balance and ran even faster down the hill. He immediately followed the beast's scent, disappearing among the trees. The scent zigzagged through the forest; left behind a wall of oak, right among a patch of bushed, where it killed a squirrel, and circling back over a ridge, where the scent seemed to have scattered. Natsu got lost for a minute there, frantically running up and down the place. Finally he picked it up again, and followed it down this path downhill.

Eventually he arrived at the foot of the path, and found that he was at beside a riverbank. Sweating, mostly out of fear, his head whipped left and right, trying to pick back up the beast's scent. Here the sudden mossy smell of the river had thrown him off, and he couldn't tell whether the beast waded the river to cross it, or ran parallel to it.

He paced back and forth, breathing in and out heavily, his nose sniffing so hard it started to redden. His lips were pressed in a tight line, and is jaw clenched hard. He was concentrating, not only on the scent of the monster, but also on everything around him. The slightest rustle of bushes near him. The tiniest insect flying about the air. He could feel the light air on every part of his skin, every drop of sweat accumulating on it, so strongly it was already distracting him. Shutting his eyes, he sniffed the air again, focusing his whole being on the monster's scent.

Finally it came. His eyes flared open as his nostrils went wide. He latched onto the scent, following it eagerly like a predator. In his mind, the monster's scent was laid out before him like an aura, spread out on the air like a fairy's trail of dust. He followed it to his left, and broke into a hard sprint, following the river downstream.

Natsu, everyone could agree, was a wild man. Raised by a dragon, he could chase down a deer until it got tired enough to slow down. Igneel's training was both effective and at some times inhuman to the young Natsu. Gray once said Natsu's nose could put a greyhound's to shame. Perhaps he had forgotten about his incredible stamina, shown at the very moment the life of his oldest friend was at stake. Later on, multiple reports of a running red-haired man would emerge, following the road parallel to the river. A carter, moving a cartload of fresh turnips from the farm, would testify, "It was like he was on fire. Like his whole being was in flames. His eyes were wild and red. Must've been chasing something, like a predator. Goodness knows the poor creature he was after. I know I wouldn't want to be it." Several more people would testify similarly.

Natsu, on the other hand, had vanished. He had gone into a separate realm, where nothing else existed but him and his prey. Everything around him had vanished into a dark abyss, where only the distinctive scent of the monster laid out before him. He would deny it later on, saying he was fully aware of what he was doing at the time. But the truth was that he barely registered the terrified carter as he passed him by. He was no more than a speck of dust in his pursuit. Like a wolf, hungry for blood, nothing mattered but prey.

' _Does he even have any food with him? He'd get hungry.'_ She thought to herself, as she, unknown to her, started to subconsciously rub her thighs together. Natsu knew what it meant, even if she didn't, and his hands left her waist, moving downwards instead towards the hem of her skirt. Then his hand plunged inside, and felt her. As he expected, she was already moist, as if his smallest touches turned on unseen switches all over her body. Her soft sighs became deep moans, as she started bucking and writhing. His hand stroked her, pushing against the wonderfully thin fabric of her panties, while his other hand then wrapped around her waist, in an attempt to keep her still.

And then his hand slipped inside her and her knees shook. She began to slide down to the floor, and Natsu caught her, his arm carrying her, pinning her against the wall harder, her back crying out in pain, as he flicked her entrance. Lucy made no attempt to suppress the deep groan that came out of her lips, as she tried standing up with her own two feet, but her knees were stiff and her thighs were trembling. Then he shoved his two fingers deep, and she squealed.

His hand shot out and clapped of her mouth. She struggled to breathe, tried to push him away for air as he kissed her frantically, even though it was of no use. Her arms could only lightly scrape against Natsu's strong and firm hold. She began to twist, but Natsu squeezed her harder against the wall, and shoved his mouth onto her neck, kissing it roughly.

Lucy bit her lip underneath Natsu's palm. Her breath was erratic; loud moans were managing to escape from her covered mouth and she could no longer struggle against him. She tried closing her legs, managing to squeeze Natsu's arm only a little as he relentlessly stroked her, filling her with ecstatic, wild pleasure.

Finally he withdrew his hand and he stepped away. For a moment Lucy could breathe again. She opened her eyes and Natsu was standing before her, grim as the reaper. In that moment she knew what would come next.

"Natsu, not-" she managed to say before he grabbed her and roughly spun her around. Her back to him, he pushed her against the wall. Then she felt him lean in and kiss her on the back of her neck as he grabbed her hips and began grinding on her. She felt him, hard and hot, against her backside as he left kiss marks all over the nape of her neck. He bit on it a little and she gasped in pain.

"Natsu, please not here.." she mumbled as his hand went up to her breasts, the other down between her legs once again. Then slowly, he began taking her panties off.

Natsu thundered further and further down the road. Later he would discover he had run 10 kilometers away from his house. Despite the length of his pursuit, he felt no exhaustions, nor shortness of breath. He slowed down, then stopped, looking around him with wide, watching eyes.

He sniffed the air again. The scent was all around him now, engulfing him. It made his skin crawl and prickle just being around the monster's aura. He clenched his hand and growled, just breathing it in. His eyes turned to slits, looking straight ahead. He didn't go forward, for the scent had stopped right here, in this very spot in the middle of the road.

Natsu whirled, furious. He sniffed the air over and over. The monster's lingering scent was all over the place, but it didn't branch out anywhere else. In his mind's eye he was drowning in it; a pool of stink and wilderness concentrated on the very spot that he stood in. As he sniffed the air, he was also breathing it in more and more. If ever Natsu asked himself what losing one's mind was like, the answer was right here. After a while it was no longer the scent of a wild animal he was smelling. He no longer smelled dirt, mossy water and weeks-old shit and piss on its fur. He could smell tar in it. And ash; hot ash, like it emerged from an erupting volcano. He could smell burning forests in it; of flesh, burned to the bone, of blood and grit mixed together with cold, cold sweat. Finally he could smell something else altogether. A sinister odor; one that burned his nostrils, and made him gag. It smelled like evil.

" _That's stupid,_ " the last rational thought of Natsu Dragneel rang. " _Evil doesn't smell._ " But in the back of his mind he knew that was false. Evil had a smell. It was nothing like tar or ash or blood and grit mixed with cold, cold sweat. It was something like the smell of rotting flesh buried deep under a pile of wormy earth. Like the dusty air of a very old basement where animals were butchered and left to die and for maggots to eat. Like the word itself can smell in the mind simply at it's very mention. He smelled it before, when going up against his bitterest opponents. He could pick it up, and though he didn't know what it was, soon he'd be fighting with such ferocity, just trying to stamp it out, stamp that awful scent out. It made his stomach curl up, a pitch black hole at the center of his guts, going deeper and deeper. His mouth went wide, and he started to choke on it. At the monster's scent, the scent of evil rose up like vomit in his throat, bubbling up to the point where he just _had_ to let it out, before it consumed him. He had to open up and let it out. Let it _all_ out _._

And, as the maddening scent drove him over the edge, he opened his mouth to the sky and let out a long, piercing roar.

"Natsu-" Lucy could barely say as Natsu yanked her panties down her knees with one hand, the other grabbing the nape of her neck, keeping her firmly planted against the wall. He slammed against her backside, his hand gripping her hip tightly against him. Lucy bit her lip, feeling his lips touch the her back between her shoulders, slowly trailing down like fairy's footsteps. His hardness burned against her, making her squirm and twist under his grasp.

"Natsu.." she began, only to be interrupted as he gripped her panties with his fingers and yanked it down to her knees. She heard him start to undo his pants, and she grabbed his hand on her chest, pulling it away from her.

"Natsu," she finally managed, turning around just enough to look at him. "Not here."

But he didn't seem to be listening. His eyes took in all of her, seeing everything but her. Lucy stiffened. He might as well have been staring at a rabbit.

Or a torn piece of cloth.

He slammed her against the wall again, grinding his erection-bare this time-against her. His skin brushed against her sensitive folds and she lightly sighed, her hands clenching. Then she felt him enter, and she hung her head in defeat. He pushed her against the wall for the umpteenth time, keeping his hand on her shoulder, as he pumped. She grit her teeth and blinked away the salty tears, letting it happen.

She never could stand the long, long minutes that passes by every time this happened. She kept her eyes closed, focusing on the sensations, letting it knock her off her feet and drag her around the room.

At first he grunted with every thrust. Then, slowly he would start to moan and groan. Just like her, he'd lose himself in the sensation. Finally, he'd start to growl, gutturally, just as she'd slip over the edge. After that, even as she'd be writhing and squirming because of her climax, he'd keep going nonetheless, ignorant of her pleas to stop. She was always the first to come.

Her nails were digging deep into the walls, leaving scratch marks on the dry wall paint. Her head was leaning against the wall, bumping repeatedly against it to Natsu's thrusts. She bit her lip until it felt like bleeding, as she felt her climax approaching again. In her mind's eye, she was looking at him. Natsu with his pink, spiky hair. His mouth set in a tight snarl, showing his sharp teeth. His eyes, first calm, now furious and on fire, staring into her. His groans now turned into moans, and Lucy's moans turned into gasps. Her eyes opened, saw nothing her climax approaching. Approaching closer. Closer. Here.

It took him until nightfall to return home. The moonlight shone down on the clearing, bathing the air with a holy, dim glow. His shoes were tattered and his clothes were filthy. He swayed as he walked; a sudden weariness taking over his bones. He stopped and stood in the moonlight, the torn piece of cloth at his feet. He picked it up, stared at it. Then, he sniffed it, and kept sniffing it as he went inside his house. Nothing else happened inside that house, and Natsu slipped into a long, deep sleep. By morning, he had already packed up and slipped into newer clothes. He locked the door behind him, and stared ahead. The path beyond suddenly seemed longer than it ever had been. He took the piece of cloth from his pocket, and sniffed it as he walked away.

Later that day, he had knocked on Lucy's door.

He stopped. Lucy let out a squeal as her body stiffened. As she fought to catch her breath, she whirled, catching him straight in the eye. She was about to climax, and he had stopped. Her body ached at the sudden loss of momentum, and for a moment she was angry. For a moment she wanted to punch Natsu in the face.

Then Natsu drew out of her, earning a small gasp from her as he did, picked her up, and walked over to the bed.

He dropped her on the bed, letting her lie spread-eagled on the sheets. Her hair sprawled all over the sheets, and she grunted as she hit the mattress. She bit her lip, and her legs flailed out, kicking out at Natsu. Suddenly the tears on her eyes started pouring even harder, and she tried holding them back.

But Natsu caught her legs and spread them roughly. He quickly took his vest off, and bent down, making quick work of her. He kissed her neck, kept his hand on her thighs. Lucy didn't even fight back anymore; her arms lay limp on the bed.

Then he reentered her.

The gasps and cries of pleasure could be heard from a room away, but the walls were thick. The closest to a disturbance they created only made the neighbors turn their head slightly, then dismiss it not two seconds after, and finally go back to what they were doing. Of course they knew Lucy Heartfilia, or to others, simply as the blonde girl. They took no notice of her-only the younger men did, and even then they put her out of their minds soon as she walked out of view. Sometimes they'd be noticing her so much that they'd be wondering what it felt like to run their hands all over her smooth skin, to hold her tight as they pumped fresh moans out of her. But then they'd forget her after a minute, and look at another cute girl walking by.

Back in the room, she was already begging him to stop, to let her rest. He responded by turning her over and going harder than before.

He took out a towel, and he used it to wipe the sweat off his body. He put his clothes back on, and wrapped his scarf around his neck. He stopped, and looked at the limp figure on the bed.  
He seemed to contemplate for a moment, then he walked to the bed.

He stood over her for a minute, looking at the rise and fall of her sweaty chest. Her hair was still messed up all over the sheets, and her eyes were empty. Then he took a towel, and carefully wiped the sweat off of her. He carried her with one arm with a slight gasp of surprise from her, fixing up the sheets with the other, and laid her properly on the bed, tucking her in.

Her eyes were still open, but they were unfocused, taking in everything blurrily. Then they focused on his face, and stayed there for a long time. He stared back. Then he kissed her, tenderly, on the lips, and got off the bed.

He picked up his bag, walked over to the door, and left. The door closing shut made her jump, and suddenly her eyes were alive again. From where she was, she could hear the clacks of his footsteps echo and then slowly fade out. After that there was silence.

Lucy lay still for a long time on the bed. Her eyes blankly stared at the ceiling as she remembered how Natsu smelled. How he felt, kissing her, holding her so tight it was almost suffocating. She put her hands to her chest and curled up, eventually drifting to sleep.

Later that day, the phone in Lucy's apartment rang. It rang continuously, but the blonde girl lied on the bed unmoving since she was laid there. Whether she was awake or not didn't matter as the persistent ringing continued until it finally gave up. Only when it did stop, was when Lucy looked up at it.

She closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Once again the phone rang, but this time she didn't mind it.

Gray put the phone back on its cradle. He hung his head, his face unreadable by the people passing him outside the phone booth. He stepped outside and walked away, presumably back home.

In his hand was a bag of pasta, and flowers on the other.


	4. Fish is Good

I do not own Fairy Tail. I wouldn't know what to do with it if I did.

Please leave reviews :)

...

Magnolia was always a big town. From its very location to its outermost borders, anyone could see that it was always meant to be a bustling town. The founders of the city had a great vision of what the town should and had came to be ever since they began construction. Flanked by two ridges, it nestled comfortably in its space, never finding the need to expand. It seemed to have the whole valley as its playground.

The canal was a curious thing. One could wonder how the planners managed to build around what was once a river, and cram it into a canal, where it had full access to human contact, sanitary or otherwise. Still, it remained clean, and if one were to fly over the city, particularly on bright summer day, the canal, winding like a snake across the breadth of the city like a snake at rest, would shine brightly in its shimmering blue glory.

Cutting right across the city was Main Street; a wide pathway that stretched from the limits of the town down south, right towards Fairy Tail uphill. In the middle of it was the cathedral, where another street intersected it, making a white marble cross in the heart of the city, laid out over the winding S of the canal. The city was bright, especially today. The heat made no effect on the people of Magnolia, as they casually strolled about in the morning light, save for one person who elected to stroll about the town in a heavy black cloak.

His steady posture, his unbroken stride, and his unseen face spelled trouble. People stayed out of his way as he briskly walked to wherever he was going. The figure arrived at the big fountain in the middle of the town square, and made a beeline for the river.

No one paid him attention despite their distance towards him, and he finally arrived where he was headed. A nondescript apartment, with no irredeemable features amongst the hundreds of similar buildings in town. Yet he waited in an alleyway a ways off of it, a dark figure that no one wanted to notice.

Then, when the pink-haired mage stepped out of that apartment, the figure watched as he walked away, vanishing into the throng.

The figure dipped his head, as if nodding. Then he vanished. A child in the distance desperately tugged on her mother's skirt, pointing at where she saw the cloaked man vanish. But the mother would not listen. She was busy chatting with a friend about the dangerous Fairy Tail mage who went missing.

In her apartment, Lucy turned, feeling as if someone was watching.

"Natsu's AWOL?" Gray asked in disbelief.

Mirajane nodded as she wiped clean a stack of plates on the bar. "Yeah. Last he was here he was perfectly fine. Then he stopped showing up. Some of the others went up to his house to check up on him."

Gray sipped his mug of beer. "And they found…?"

Mirajane pursed her lips. "The house was a disaster. It was a huge mess inside. Furniture toppled over, everything was on the floor. They couldn't find Happy either."

Gray grit his teeth. The grip he had on his beer tightened, and he sipped it sparsely. All around him, Fairy Tail was carrying on as usual. People were just hanging out on the benches, or checking the boards for work. The Master was gone today, talking to the higher-ups about work, and making sure to mention Natsu. Apparently, Natsu's stunt at the forest shocked a bunch of citizens, and made the Magic Council notice Natsu. Makarov made sure to include this in his piece, but nothing sure could be done, now that one of Fairy Tail's most infamous members had gone AWOL.

"What did the Council have to say about Natsu?" Gray inquired.

Mira shrugged. "No word yet. Master returned without even a word. He just snuck back into his office."

Natsu as a concern for the Magic Council deeply concerned Gray. Natsu could be one mean mother when he got worked up. To be considered a threat by the higher-ups, along with his AWOL status…

Gray drummed his fingers on the bar. He finished his beer quickly, and left the guild without another word.

It was another beautiful day in Magnolia, but he didn't feel like taking another stroll across town. He stopped at the middle of Main Street, and made a decision. He took the streets away from town, and went for Natsu's house.

Gray didn't necessarily worry for Natsu. The two of them could be major headaches when the time came. However, he had to do something about this. Natsu was a comrade. Natsu was a member of Fairy Tail. Natsu was…

 _"Natsu!" Lucy cried out, gripping his arm tight enough to leave marks._

Gray stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at the ground, refusing to leave a particular spot on it. Suddenly the air seemed cold, and the spot on his gut that came upon hearing about Natsu grew deeper and deeper.

The bushes behind him rattled. He spun quickly, already posing for an easy combat stance.

Suddenly the bright day was a little _too_ bright. The blinding sun shone against the trees, casting enumerable dark shadows all over. Dark spots, that seemed to be looking at him, watching him.

He felt someone behind him. He spun quickly, and before he knew it he had launched a razor-sharp icicle toward a tree. The tree rattled, loose leaves falling to the ground like artificial rain. Somewhere above, a disturbed squirrel ran for shelter.

Gray pressed on to the solitary cottage beyond the trees.

He arrived at the clearing. He stepped onto the clean field of grass, and he marveled at the sudden silence. Walking through the forest, one was surrounded by the chirping of birds, the rustling of tree branches and bushes. As you stepped onto the wide clearing in the middle of the forest, where the Dragneel household stood, a sudden silence would envelop the senses. It was like stepping into a big bubble.

Gray looked up. The sunny sky was now partially covered in clouds. Birds flew lazily by, and the trees swayed in a clean, hypnotic motion. Gray felt the urge to close his eyes, and breathe the stillness in. He did just that, and pressed on.

He could not count the countless times he and Natsu fought, played, and messed about in this same clearing. Even back when they were kids, when they weren't wreaking havoc in the guild downtown, they retreated to this same spot. Here, they could fight all they wanted, with little regards to their surroundings. Gray had more than once covered the entire clearing in ice, which nearly froze the soles of Natsu's feet, and Natsu had only burned the whole forest down twice in his life. Quite an achievement, as it _was_ Natsu.

However, Gray strode briskly towards the cottage. He took a moment to take it in, but he had to see.

He had to see what had happened.

He could see that the senior members, particularly Erza or Laxus, had taken it upon themselves to block off the house. The door was closed, and from where he was standing he could clearly see a spell on the doorframe, outlining it in mystical letters emblazoned in sparkling red.

 _Levy,_ he thought. He approached the door nonetheless. He peeked at the windows, and could only see his own reflection staring back at him. Took him a moment to see it was another spell.

 _No peeking allowed,_ Gray thought, and inwardly smiled.

He looked at the spell on the door, wondering if it could withstand, say an ice blast from him.

 _You did try it once,_ he thought. _You nearly destroyed the whole house._

Then he thought of something. He put his hand on the knob, turned it, and the door obediently swung open, although the spell was still on the frame.

Gray smirked. _Of course they wouldn't forbid_ us _from trying to enter,_ he thought. _Probably it was Erza who requested it._

It was still dark inside, though. Too dark to see anything inside, like looking into an abyss. _Another safety spell for peekers?_ He thought.

He stepped into the abysmally dark doorway, and saw what was inside. He gasped.

Furniture toppled, items and unmentionables on the floor. Books, towels, frames; broken, opened, and spread out on whatever surface they could find. Gray looked at the floor; the carpet slashed multiple times by what looked like claws.

He looked and saw that the walls the same fate as well. Claws, seemingly slightly bigger than a bear.

Gray stepped carefully. If he didn't quite catch what Mira described, he could very well catch it now. Even the mattress was upturned, the pillows and the blanket on the floor-dirty and rugged, as if a big bear stepped on it and went to work.

Or something else that's bigger and with claws.

Gray could only clench his fist. He went to the kitchen, and saw that the cupboards were empty. The pantry had been raided. _Could it be…_ he thought.

Then he opened the closet, checked its contents. _I knew it.._ he thought. Several of Natsu's few clothes were gone.

Gray grit his teeth for the second time that day. _That idiot…_

Gray hurriedly stepped out of the house and walked quickly away. He had to tell the others. Or find whoever it was that got the same idea he did.

 _Erza._ He thought. If there was one other person who knew Natsu as well as he did, it was her. And he had an idea what she'd be doing right now.

Erza Scarlet closed the door to Master Makarov's office, lingering there for a moment, then briskly walked away. Her armor clicked and clanked as her brisk steps echoed on the wooden floors of the guild halls. Anyone familiar with the Scarlet Knight of Fairy Tail would go up to her to say hi, but notice something different in her, and shy away.

She had perfectly good reason to appear this way, it seemed. Everyone had heard of Natsu's sudden absence, and the Council's inquiry into the matter. The same was everyone was aware of Erza's reputation, they were equally aware of Natsu's willpower. If his behavior seemed erratic, there was a good reason for it. Even those outside Team Natsu had a perfectly good and justifiable idea of what can go wrong, especially when Team Natsu was involved.

And now, Natsu Dragneel is AWOL, and the Council's concerned.

Erza stepped out into the bright morning and made her way to Fairy Hills. The usual people greeted the famous knight good morning, hello, and she gave them a smile and return. As she'd stride past them, the smile she wore would drop back into a thoughtful frown. She had a long history of keeping her thoughts and worries to herself; this was no exception.

Fairy Hills was a short walk from the guild. She opened the double doors to her apartment, and strode through the long hall that led to her lush-sized bedroom. As Erza Scarlet, she was paid a big sum each month. She never was lacking in anything material. Truthfully, she didn't particularly care for her stylish apartment, but years of being a respected mage had made her ignore modesty when she could afford it.

Her apartment occupied a higher storey in the building, where inside her bedroom the windows of the quarters would afford a slight view of the landscape. The sunshine pouring out from the large windows would be enough to illuminate the room, making the chandelier hanging from the ceiling necessary only when she had guests around. Erza gazed out her window, watching the rooftops of the houses and buildings of distant Magnolia. Then her gaze went farther on, towards the hills and forests beyond the hills.

"He's out there somewhere." Gray from behind said.

She heard the door open, but rightly guessed it was him. "Whatever got into his mind, I wonder." She said without turning. "You're not allowed to be here."

"If it's something important, then I had to talk to you." He replied.

She turned around. He was standing in the doorway. "I'm going out to look for him." She eyed him from head to toe. "You'll need to pack up if you're coming with me."

He held up a satchel he had been holding behind him. He smirked at her. "I even bought underwear." However smug his smirk was, his eyes were dark, downcast.

Erza nodded. "Good. We'll set out today."

Gray nodded back. "Aren't we forgetting someone?"

Erza's lip tightened. "Gray, you've seen the marks in the house. Perhaps it might be a little _too_ dangerous for her this time…"

Suddenly Lucy emerged from the hallway outside, pointing an accusing finger at Erza. "Now hold on just a minute!" She said. "No way you're leaving _me_ behind!"

Erza seemed a little surprised. "Lucy?"

Lucy stiffened her lip, and nodded. "This is non-negotiable, okay? I'm coming with. He's my…friend too."

If Gray noticed the soft way she said the word 'friend', he seemed to ignore it. He put both hands on his hips. "Well, that's settled."

Erza seemed to consider for a moment, then nodded. "I can't deprive you of this. Alright. "

That day three people walked away from the city limits, vowing to not come back until their friend was with them. What lay ahead, or why this happened in the first place, they did not know. They had dealt with monsters before. But the possibility of monsters among them did not enter their worries.

"Mifflin?" Lucy asked.

Gray nodded. "It's likely that Natsu stuck to the roads. He'd never go by train. Only one road that passes through town, and Mifflin is the closest town to Magnolia accessible by it."

Lucy looked at the map Gray was holding. Magnolia was at the southeast section of the Fiore. Although the railways stretching from Hargeon down south passed it and continued up to Onibus, only one road passed through it. This road stretched far out to the west, winding through the mountains, where the trains couldn't go. The other end of the road stretched east, cutting through the forest right next to Magnolia, and crossing the river that connected to Akane Beach, and to the sea.

"He's probably not going west, either." Gray said, looking at the map. "There's nothing out there for miles. So following the road east leads us to Mifflin."

Lucy perked up her glasses. Mifflin was a small town beside the eastern river. "Do you guys think we'd find any more clues if we went to Natsu's house?" she inquired. "Or have you guys found anything useful already?"

"Nothing useful left there." Erza replied. She was kicking at a tree, trying to scrape off mud from her boots. "We already checked it first. Aside from evidence of a clawed monster attacking, it's mostly a mess. Levy sealed it off from outsiders, but anyone from the guild can get inside."

"And Natsu packed up before he left." Gray added. "If he had a map or a plan, he bought it along with him. It's highly likely he'd have just followed the roads."

"So he's likely to pass through the Mifflin…" Lucy concluded.

Erza had scraped off the last traces of muck from her boots and walked over to where the other two stood. She pointed at Mifflin. "That's still a ways off from here. If he walked, likely he's in the forest by now."

All three nodded. Gray hired a carriage to take them to Mifflin, and in an hour they were sitting speeding towards the small town.

"Any thoughts on why he'd run off like this?" Gray asked.

Erza's eyes narrowed in thought. "I tried to read the scene best as I could. It seems that a monster attacked Natsu's house. Judging by the witnesses' testimony to his little 'episode' at the farmlands, he seemed to have been chasing after it."

"Why would he want to chase after a monster that's already trashed his home?" Gray asked. "Natsu's bold, but he's not stupid."

"Unless the monster took something from him…" Erza offered.

The carriage could have gone faster, but the driver was instructed to take it slow, as they were trying to watch out for him in the areas they passed. Gray and Lucy sat together, Erza opposite them.

Gray leaned forward. "We both saw the house, Erza, and we both know Natsu. What could possibly make Natsu run after a…thing like that? He had little prized possessions, and I doubt any he might've had would make him shoot out a pillar of fire into the air in rage."

Erza slightly cringed at that. Natsu had already burned a large portion of the forests around Magnolia down twice in the past. Everyone in Fairy Tail, including and especially her, had made him promise severely never to make any fire-related antics in his home in the forest again. Many times had she and the senior mages discussed whether Natsu would be better of living in town, but then the image of Natsu burning down an entire neighborhood stuck to their minds and they never decided on it.

Still, though Natsu's little bout had barely touched the trees, most of the farmers and citizens living in the wooded areas had complained. They knew him well, of course, and had grown wary of the well-meaning yet wild fire mage. They had been through both times he had burned the forest down, and each time they cursed him, crying for punishment. Which was delivered, albeit in a manner fitting to the guild. The people, on the other hand, would've preferred jail time.

Master Makarov, however, managed to talk with them. They calmed down, and had actually sighed in relief once the master told them Natsu would be staying in the guild for a while. That was a week ago.

"I doubt that Natsu wouldn't be able to handle it, whatever it is." Gray said. He leaned back on his seat, quietly watching the woods roll by the window. Erza seemed thoughtful, and refused to relax. When the great Scarlet Knight of Fairy Tail was in the middle of a great battle, she wouldn't be as anxious as she was now, worrying about one of her greatest friends. Lucy watched her silently think, and could almost hear her thoughts.

However, she was lost in thoughts of her own.

It didn't take long before she woke up again. It was late in the afternoon, the dusk settling over the city, making the citizens settle down themselves.

She sat up, and was not surprised to find that her body ached from the waist down. She shook her unfocused mind awake, and gently hugged herself, the room suddenly getting cold.

Very slowly, she starts moving her legs. The effort seems ridiculous, but as her shaking feet hit the floor, and her trembling knees almost failed to support her as she stood up to get to the bathroom, she has to walk slowly, before she collapses to the floor.

She bit her lips. Slowly, she steadied herself. Her hips felt numb, her muscles stretched and sore. She almost made it, until her knee gave out, and she leaned on the wall to support herself.

She heaved a sigh, and, gritting her teeth, forced herself to walk. One step, then another.

Finally she reached the bathroom. She reached for the chair, then sat on it as she opened the faucet to fill the tub. As the sound of the gushing water filled up the space of the modest bathroom, Lucy just sat beside the tub, her gaze fixated on a particular tile on the far wall.

Finally she gathered enough sense to turn it off as the tub filled up, and, shedding what little clothes Natsu left on her, clambered into the tub.

The water was cold, but Lucy barely shivered. She hugged her knees, and stared at the water for the longest time. At least, it was what she appeared to be doing. For the longest time, the only sound that could be heard was the dripping water from the faucet.

Finally she moved. She took a scrub began cleaning herself, but stopped. She seemed surprised, as she saw droplets of red in the bath water. She gaped, as if unable to comprehend what she saw, and then carefully moved her hand up to her shoulder. When she felt it, just on the spot around her collar, she gasped in pain. She carefully touched it again with the extreme tips of her fingers. They were lighter than last times', but she could still feel it cut deep. When she looked at her hand, it had blood on it.

Then she looked at the floor, and saw a trail of blood drops on the clear tiling. She got out of the bath, dripping wet and naked, and stepped outside of the bathroom.

She looked down. Though her floor was a dark mahogany, the crimson droplets of blood on the floor was unmistakable. Then her gaze fell to her bed, and saw on her clean white sheets, a dark patch of blood.

Lucy just stood for a long time. Then she placed her hand on her neck, feeling the bite marks, and suddenly they hurt. They stung her right down to the flesh beneath her skin, searing and twisting, like vampire's bites. She gasped as the pain throbbed, and sank to the floor.

"Aren't you warm in that?" Gray asked.

Lucy was careful not to let her derailed thoughts show on her face. Gray looked at her with a blank, almost disinterested look. However, she knew him well. Underneath it was great concern for his friends and allies.

She adjusted her turtleneck sweater and smiled. "No, actually it's pretty comfy."

Gray pondered this. Then he placed his hand on her forehead.

"What're you doing?" Lucy asked.

Gray let his hand rest there for a moment longer, then drew it back. "Thought you might've had a fever."

Erza looked up. "A fever? You, Lucy?" she asked.

Lucy shook her head, still smiling. "No no, Erza, I'm fine, really."

Then she turned to Gray. "And you've never questioned my fashion choices before."

Gray smirked. "Do you want a compliment?"

She winked, and her smile turned into a smirk. "Wouldn't hurt to compliment such a cute girl, would it?"

Suddenly the picture of Lucy beneath him, writhing and moaning, her young and strikingly mature face twisted into an unabashed expression of pleasure, shot into Gray's mind and it took him much of his mental willpower not to let it show on his face.

The best he managed was to keep his gaze on her linger for a moment too long, under which Lucy strange, before he said, "You wish." And looked away.

Lucy could swear she saw something beneath his stare, but she instead took out a book from her bag and began reading.

Both ignored each other for the rest of the journey. Opposite them, Erza had a thought.

Happy's stomach audibly grumbled, but he clutched his tummy as if to silence it. He panted, looking all around him, although the place he was in was dark, and the ground he lay on was rough and dry.

He waited until it slept. It slept unevenly; sometimes only for few hours, in the afternoon and night, and sometimes for long stretches of time. He could tell, not because it snored or something. If it _did_ snore, he didn't know if it sounded like how normal bears snored.

Then again, he only called it a bear because it was the closest thing he could compare it too.

Happy's stomach grumbled again, and he bit his lip. He didn't dare make a sound. He didn't want to yell, to speak, even to cry out. He didn't dare call its attention towards him. He didn't know what else it was capable of.

Happy trembled. He closed his eyes and thought of fish. Good, raw, maybe even cooked fish. Salted, lightly fried. He'd be glad to have even smallest pieces of bone. However, it was dark and cold here, and he could feel it around him. As if the slightest move would anger it.

And he really didn't want to anger it.

Happy continued thinking about fish. Fish was good. Fish was the best. Almost as good as…

"Natsu…" he whispered. Yes, almost as good as Natsu. He'd give anything to be with him again. But Happy's eyes flared open as he felt something.

Somewhere around him, it woke up.


End file.
